But good fresh sushi is great no matter what!
After our sushi breakfast I hopped on the JR and headed to the Edo-Japan Museum. I was fortunate enough to catch an English guided tour with just one other Australian visitor - so it was like a private 2.5 hr tour :)
Since nothing from the Edo period exists today, this museum was full of exquisite models of their city, livelihood, and lifestyle. Each of the figurines below were about 3 cm tall and every single one was unique! Amazing! The artists worked very closely with the historians to depict an accurate illustration of Edo street life.
There were 4 distinct social classes (Samurai, peasants, craftsmen, merchants) ruled by shoguns, and life was peaceful and people enjoyed leisurely life. One fun thing I learned was that since the homes were mainly made of wood, fire was a frequent battle and firemen were really admired for their courage and strength. Their coats were white on the outside with elaborate embroidery of dragons and tigers on the inside. Once the fire was put out, they flipped their coats inside out and paraded the streets while being showered with cheers :)
Living quarters of the working class was simple but very efficient. Even during the Edo period, sewer systems and water canals were well planned throughout the city. All children were provided with standard education and with hard work, anyone could move up through social classes.
I wasn't able to watch a live kabuki show, but here was a great model. The tour guide took us into their 'backstage' area and we were even able to see and play the kabuki instruments.
Here is a picture with my tour guide, who turned out to be an alum of Bryn Mawr College's Japanese sister school, Tsuda College. Interestingly, during the industrial revolution, Japan sent 4 women ages 7-14 to the U.S.A. to study abroad. One of those women studied at BMC and came back to model Tsuda College after BMC. We still have very strong ties with Tsuda today!
Since I won't have a chance to attend a sumo match during my visit, I decided to check out the museum instead ...
And watch it on their TV haha. These guys may look fat, but they are pure diesel!
I headed to Asakusa and had a yoshoku (western Japanese food) lunch with Tomoko.
Markie - I had to try the curry to make sure it wasn't as good as yours!
Tomoko had the Napoleon Spaghetti and taught me how to make it as well :)
After lunch, we snapped some photos at the Kaminarimon Gate (biggest lantern of all time!) on the way to Senso-Ji temple. Again, I was disappointed that there was no explanation of what was written on the lantern or what it symbolized... Sad!
Then we took the ferry cruise over to Oedo...
... to relax at the onsen (hot springs)!
You get kicked out if you have tattoos! (Sorry, Kimch! No dice.)
We were having so much fun, we totally lost track of time and so we rushed to have a yakitori (chicken skewer) dinner with Ryuzo, Ski, and Miki! And I tried raw chicken!! Add it to my crazy eats list!
We were all so tired we forgot to take a group picture :( but R&T, hopefully I'll see you in NY in the fall! :) thanks for a wonderful visit, everyone!
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